


That's Why I Missed You

by iconicvlodge



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, a lil bit frustrating, archieronnie added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-07-17 11:08:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16094441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iconicvlodge/pseuds/iconicvlodge
Summary: Riverdale, three days after Archie Andrews' arrest for the murder of Cassidy Bullock, a young man residing in Shadow Lake. He has been unable to contact anyone since except his mother, Mary Andrews, also his lawyer, who came in town to defend her son. Incarcerated in Shankshaw Prison, he receives the first call from someone other than his mother, his girlfriend, Veronica Lodge, and what he has to tell her isn't easy for either of them.She tends to be alone in her fight, until she finally gets along with Reggie Mantle, who brings her help and support for her speakeasy, but not only...





	1. The call

**Author's Note:**

> This work is my first one in the world of fanfictions. I've been reading so much fanfics for a long time and then I finally decided to write my own story. :)
> 
> The firsts chapters will be pretty short, but as and when, they will be longer. I hope you'll like reading it, enjoy :)  
> Edit: i turned this fanfic into a reggieronnie one, it had to be done for the sake of its own :') don't blame me, love u, hope you'll still like it! Let me know in the comments :)

**/ Three months earlier /**

_\- This call will be recorded in the Shankshaw Prison Call Records and will be charged. Do you accept the fees? -_

"I accept."

A beep sounded within her phone. Silence. It has been three days now since she had any contact with Archie. During those last fifteen seconds of waiting, the phone stuck to her ear, time seemed still even more like an eternity. It was ridiculous, though. Fifteen seconds was nothing compared to the two hundred and fifty-nine thousand two hundred seconds that had separated her from him during these three endless days. Three days during which she had done only two things: thought of him, and dedicated an imprescriptible anger to anyone who dared speak to her. Including Betty, her best friend. She no longer trusted anyone.

At this moment the questions exploded in her head. Was he okay? How was he doing? Did he blame her? ...

No.

Stupid idea.

Why would he blame her? She did nothing wrong. Absolutely... nothing. Deep inside her, her heart squeezes and her stomach knots. It was her father, Hiram, and she knew it. Tears came to her eyes. Every second that passed, she wondered if she wanted to hang up the phone and move on. But finally, at the fifteenth and last second, she heard his voice.

_"Hey, Ronnie."_

At the sound of his voice, Veronica couldn't restrain the tears that had filled her eyes a few seconds before. She let out a sudden sob. She hadn't cried that way for ages. It was as if she was evacuating all the anger, sadness, and worry she had accumulated during those three days that had seemed endless to her.

"Oh, Archiekins," she said in a loud breath.

_"Are you okay?"_ he asked in a worried tone.

A smile appeared on her lips.

"I can't get better right now."

That was true. She had never felt better than at that moment.

"What about you, uh? How are your days?" She replied.

_Oh. What a silly question._

"Hum, I mean, don't you miss me too much?"

She felt the tears rise all of a sudden.

_"Ronnie..."_ he changed his tone.

"What? What's wrong?"

Veronica felt that something wasn't okay. She knew it, it was obvious. She could feel it in the deepening of his voice. Of course, he was in prison, but something was going on inside him that wasn't usual. Generally, when he was taking that tone, he wanted to talk to her seriously. Really seriously. She remembered this breakup, the evening of Jughead's father's release from prison, where he had been trying all day to talk to her about it… taking THAT tone.

_"I need you to promise me something. I want you to promise me not to badly react to what I'm about to tell you."_

"It depends. What is it about, Archiekins?"

Always smiling, she wiped the makeup that had started to flow under her eyes.

_"Ronnie, I'm serious. We don't have that much time. Promise me, please. I need it."_

Veronica stopped smiling. It was definitely really important. There was a long moment of silence. 8 seconds, no less, no more, but it was already too much for her. Again, it was nothing compared to the previous three days. She sat there, on one of the Pembrooke couches, alone, wondering what was more important to clarify at that precise moment than to say "I love you", "I miss you" and all these kinds of things that say a normal couple while they call each other. She wanted to say everything she had within her heart, to tell him that she loved him and that she was horribly missing him. She wanted to go and find him, hug him so hardly that he couldn't say anything else than "I love you". Those three words that meant so much for them two, that Veronica hadn't been able to tell him, and now she just wanted to yell them millions of times if she could. But she couldn't. Something was stuck in her throat. During these 8 seconds, no sound came out of her mouth.

"Well. I promise," she finally said.

Archie sighed. Some kind of relief sigh. It wasn't good to hear at all for Veronica.

_"First of all, I wanna know if you think I'm guilty. Or even just if you think I have something to do with this murder."_

She hesitated. Just one second.

"No, Archie. Of course not. I swear if I see my dad's face once again, I..."

He didn't let her finish her sentence.

_"Let that aside. You don't have to do anything. Ronnie, now that I'm incarcerated we'll have to… just let the things go as they are. At least until I get released."_

Her face froze.

"What does this mean, exactly?"

_"That means I don't want you to come to see me here, Veronica. This place is not suitable for someone like you. Plus, I don't even know when my trial will be. It's going to be a long, very long process."_

No expression on her face. Her head was filled with anger, her heart with pain.

_"Do you understand what I mean?"_ He continued.

She wanted to say so many things, but her mind was under control of anger and despair, so she restrained herself. Knowing herself, she could turn violent, and she didn't want him to get even more hurt by her fault. The only thing that came out of her mouth was something romantic, such as some kind of Romeo and Juliet movie.

"Archie, I'm sure we can go through that. I mean, together. Why not? Is it so impossible to imagine?"

_"That's not the problem, Ronnie. I don't want you to get involved in this, that's all. I'll be hard on you, but seeing you will hurt me more than anything else."_

"Archie..."

_"I just need a break, Veronica. Just to breath and realize what's happening to me. Then we will get back together again. When everything will be over. I promise. It will be like before all of this happen."_

She shook her head.

"Uh, uh. Untrue. It won't."

_"I don't let you the choice, Ronnie. I'm sorry."_

She could hear the pain in his voice. Some kind of pain nobody wants to hear. He was making pauses at every sentence he was pronouncing. He was about to cry, she knew it, and it reassured her. Indeed, it let her know that he loved her. She swallowed.

"Alright, then." She didn't insist.

_"I love you, Ronnie."_

These where the last words he said. She didn't answer either. She hung up the phone.

The call was over, everything was finished.

Tears weren't falling anymore, there was too much anger inside her. Her eyes didn't show any expression either. They fixed the void, because now this was the perfect representation of everything around her. The void. Absolutely nothing. She wanted to throw everything away.

For her, it was finished.

Nothing was ever going to be like before. Archie was lying. She would never slip her head in the crook of her neck again, she would never kiss him as before, they would never sleep together again. It would never be like before.

For her, it was finished.

_Everything was over._


	2. Trustworthy friendships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Uh, what a heat," she sighed.
> 
> Betty was staring at her silently, spying on any movement she was making. Veronica noticed that weird behavior that Betty was having.
> 
> "Don't you drink? Is everything okay?"  
> "Yeah. Everything's okay."  
> Veronica looked down.
> 
> "I'm just surprised at the way you so easily flirt with people."

**/ Now /**

 

"Where do I put that, Veronica?"

 

Veronica's speakeasy was beginning to take some shape. Her first employee was none other than Reggie. He had applied to Veronica as soon as she had the idea of opening a clandestine bar in the heart of Riverdale, with the desire to be her first employee. Veronica had engaged him with pleasure, they both got along very well, they were friends, but nothing more. It had been three months since Archie was in custody. Three months that she had not called him or seen him because Archie had stopped her, and she had promised him. Yet, she hadn't stopped thinking about him, she was blaming him. A lot.

 

"Just over here, Reggie."

"And there it is," he said, putting down the jukebox. "Do you want me to bring something else?"

She shook her head.

"No, it's okay for today. Thanks Reggie." 

He smiled, she smiled in response.

"Alright. Oh, and before I leave, do you want me to pick you up tomorrow to go to Archie's trial?"

Her smile faded a little.

"Uh... no. I'm not going. But thanks, anyway."

"Okay," he winked at her and left.

 

Veronica sat down on a chair and sighed. She looked up at her phone. 7 messages, 4 missed calls of Betty. Oh. Crap. The shopping rendezvous. She was late. She got up, put on her jacket, grabbed her purse and quickly left.

 

***

 

"Veronica Lodge, late?" laughed Betty when she saw her best friend arrive, running.

"I'm sooo sorry B, I had to fix the last things before the Speakeasy's opening..." she sighed, again. "And I almost forgot our important appointment."

"It's okay, V. I understand. Let's go, we've lost enough time. We have to find perfect outfits for after tomorrow."

 

She took Veronica's arm and they both went towards the first store in sight. Calzedonia. They passed well an hour in the same departments of the store, wondering what they were going to wear.

"Rather this or that? I hesitate, what do you prefer, B?"

"Well, I really doubt that these things are appropriate for Cheryl's pool party, Veronica..." she laughed, looking at the two bathing suits that Veronica held in each of her hands.

"Elisabeth Cooper. Everything is appropriate for this kind of parties!"

She kept the two articles. Suddenly, she noticed two wonderful bathrobes, a pink one and a purple checked one.

"Oh my goodness. Look at these. Don't you find them too inappropriate this time?"

Betty smiled. 

"Incredible, V. You really have a gift to find bargains."

Veronica gave a cute little cry. She was already excited that they were going to wear these bathrobes, just like a child who had just opened her Christmas present. It was like that every time someone went shopping with miss Veronica Lodge, it had to be expected.

"We take them?"

"We take them," Betty answered positively.

 

***

 

After finishing their shopping spree, the two friends went for a drink in a small bar that Veronica knew well. There was one in New York too. She went there every time her father annoyed her.

"Two mojitos, please. With a lot of ice," said Veronica. "What a heat in here."

"Anything else?" asked the waiter.

"That's all. Thanks!" she smiled at him, he did too, before going to prepare the two drinks.

 

The rain was pouring outside, thunder was roaring. A huge storm was breaking out on the city. 

"Why did you choose to go shopping in Greendale when we also have worthy stores in Riverdale?" asked Betty. She could see her lost eyes.

"Oh, just to breathe another air that the Riverdale one, sweetie. I wanted to change, otherwise."

"Oh." she replied slowly.

 

"And two mojitos, really good, really fresh. Oh, and with a lot of ice." the waiter winked at Veronica.

She smiled.

"Thanks!"

She began to drink in her straw. 

"Uh, what a heat," she sighed, moving her hand to get some air.

 

Betty was staring at her silently, spying on any movement she was making. Veronica noticed that weird behavior that Betty was having.

"Don't you drink? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's okay."

Veronica looked down.

"I'm just surprised at the way you so easily flirt with people."

Veronica smiled.

"I'm single, don't you remember?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry."

"How are you and Jughead doing by the way?" said Veronica, quickly changing the discussion subject.

"I'm good. I mean, we're good. Everything's good."

"Great!" Veronica replied smiling, before taking another sip.

"Are you going to Archie's trial tomorrow?"

Hearing what Betty had just said, she almost spit her mojito.

"No. I'm not going. I have to... I have to finish some last things at the speakeasy. La Bonne Nuit is almost ready to be introduced to the world."

"Well..." Betty started to drink her cocktail.

Veronica was stirring the mint leaves with her straw, pouring the ice cubes in the bottom of the glass.

"Just know that he would be glad if you come."

She stopped stirring and looked up, now staring at Betty.

"He would be what?"

"It would please him. I mean, it would be nice from you to do that for him."

Veronica widened her eyes. She couldn't believe it.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Veronica, I'm just saying things as they are, I'm telling you the truth. I don't wanna lie. You know me! I hate lying on people."

"I'm glad he could feel good if I would come, but unfortunately for him, I won't. Why would I care about how he feels now when he has not even cared about how I felt during all these months?"

"Veronica..."

"Just give up, Betty. It's useless, I won't come."

 

Silence settled in the bar. We could only hear the thunder, the rain from outside and the waiter who was cleaning glasses. Veronica thought for a few seconds. And if Archie was actually the one who was just taking the first step towards a possible renewal? Shouldn't she accept? 

 

_Hold on._  

Wait a second. 

How would Betty know that?

 

"How would you just know that?" Veronica asked aggressively. "How could you know that he would be grateful to see me?"

It was Betty's turn to look down.

"Well... That's because..." she could feel Veronica staring at her. "Because he actually told me."

 

Everything started again. The emptiness around her, the feeling that she could no longer trust anyone, sadness, pain and... jealousy.

"He told... you," Veronica repeated. "So I guess you've seen him, right?"

"Yeah."

"You went to visit him at Shankshaw prison?"

"Yes..."

"He allowed you to come to see him?"

"Yes, V. I'm sorry. He forbade me to tell you anything about that. He knew that you could turn jealous."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are, V. That's obvious," answered Betty. She pointed Veronica's eyes. "I can see it right there."

She freed Betty's hand from her face.

"I'm sorry too, but I have things to do, actually."

She finished her mojito, put the money on the table to pay for the two cocktails and began to get up.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm leaving. You don't need me to get home, you have your mom's car. I'm calling my chauffeur."

She fumbled in her purse, looking for her phone but she didn't find it. 

 

_Shit._

 

She had left it on one of the tables of the speakeasy.

"Well. I'm getting home by walking."

"With this rain outside? Veronica, don't be ridiculous. I'm driving you h..."

She didn't let her finish her sentence.

"No. It'll be okay. Thanks though."

 

She stepped out of the bar and caught a gust of wind in the face, accompanied by rain and dead leaves. Great. It had to continue like this. In any case, she had no other choice.

 

***

 

It had been more than thirty minutes that she had been walking all along the road now. Her shoes were soaked, her hair completely wet and her black leather purse was screwed up.

 

_Shit again._

 

The cars kept running at pounding speed on the roadside puddles, which completely watered Veronica. Suddenly, despite the sound of thunder and rain on the ground, she heard a car stop on the side of the road behind her. Then, a door slam. And finally, a shout.

"Veronica Lodge, walking under the rain? Quite romantic."

Only Reggie could say this kind of things, and in fact, it was definitely him.

"I can drive you home if you want to."

She walked back and climbed in the car.

"Yeah, uh... I left my phone at the speakeasy, can you drop me there?" she asked.

"Sure," he answered with a smile.

"Thanks again, Reggie."

"You don't have to thank me."

She smiled in return.

 

Yeah, she didn't have to. Her name was Veronica Lodge, after all.


	3. The visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She sat up on her bed, looking right and left around her to become aware of the environment in which she was : her room at the Pembrooke, nothing more surprising. She sighed before getting up to get ready. What was going to happen today wasn't planned at all. She wasn't ready, neither mentally nor physically. 
> 
> Veronica was going to see Archie at Shankshaw prison, and Reggie had promised her to take her there. 
> 
> She wasn't ready at all.

**/ Labor Day /**

**7am.**

She felt all the more stupid when she heard the alarm from her phone ringing.

_And shit again._

It was the third time it had sounded, and also the third time she had stopped it.  
She sat up on her bed, looking right and left around her to become aware of the environment in which she was : her room at the Pembrooke, nothing more surprising. She sighed before getting up to get ready. What was going to happen today wasn't planned at all. She wasn't ready, neither mentally nor physically. Veronica was going to see Archie at Shankshaw prison, and Reggie had promised her to take her there. She wasn't ready at all.

She pulled on the outfit she had prepared the day before, after coming home a little drunk from a certain bar she wouldn't pronounce the name, because only Reggie and her knew it now, no one else, and she wanted it to be their little secret. Why did she suddenly worry so much about her ex-boyfriend, Archie Andrews? She didn't know anything about it. She thought of him, that was all. Suddenly, her gaze fell on her neck through the mirror. Something was missing, right there. Something important to her eyes, for such a special occasion. Just as she was trying to reach her jewelry box, Hermione entered the room.

 

"Well slept, Mija? I've never seen you up so early."

Veronica pulled her hand back and laid it down on her thigh. She now stared at her mother's eyes through the mirror.

"Yes, Mom, I was about to go, I have an appointment and I wouldn't want to be late, if you don't mind me."

She stood up and took her purse. Hermione frowned in misunderstanding, smiling.

"An appointment, uh? A date, this early in the morning?"

"No... no, not a date, just an appointment, with Reggie. I have lots of things to do today," she finished, passing abruptly beside her mom.

"Good," said Hermione, "but be here for lunch, your father wants to talk to you about some things."

Veronica didn't reply. She looked at her phone and sighed with relief as she saw Reggie's message.

_Downstairs, waiting for u_

"Excuse me, someone is waiting for me. I have to go."  
She smiled at her mom and left the room.

***

 **7:30am.**

"Are you sure you really want to see him?"  
Reggie was asking the same question every five minutes.  
"I know I'm insistent but all I want is to know if it's really good for you."

Veronica was looking at nothing but the road in front of her. She wondered during all this time if she ever wanted to see him again one day or not. Her mind prevented her from it while her heart was leaping with envy.  
"Sure and certain, Reggie, don't make me reconsider my decision. I have to talk to him."

"Alright," he finished softly.

There was an awkward silence afterwards. Veronica was sometimes looking up at Reggie's face, where she could see anxiety and worry. Probably because of her, she thought. Because he had never really gone out with a girl until yesterday night. Besides, what a night it had been. Her attention was staying focused on a girl named Evelyn Evernever, who had just moved to the area just next to Betty's house. This girl was weird but cute, and Veronica had noticed that she had been watching her and Reggie all the night. Maybe she thought they were a couple. Ew, she threw that idea away. _Never gonna happen._ She and Reggie were just friends. The idea of Reggie also watching Evelyn all the night reassured her.

"That Evelyn was strange last night," she said.

"Oh, I thought you would never remember her. I mean come on, do you remember how you were drunk?"  
They both laughed. Veronica put a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Enough for me to remember her."

"And enough so that you remember that I brought you to the bar's bathroom for you to puke?"

"For god'sake Reginald Mantle, why do you keep remembering those kinds of things? That's such embarrassing!" she laughed again.

"And why do you keep looking at me like that? That's embarrassing too. Am I that handsome?" Reggie pointed out.  
Veronica went aware of the fact that she was staring at Reggie's face.

"Oh, no. I mean, no, you're handsome but I was just... looking for a girl that would suit you well... like that Evelyn maybe?"

He stopped laughing, making a disgusting face and took a chewing-gum out of his pocket.

"You want one?" he asked.

"No, thanks. But please let me know that you find her cute at least," she replied.

He looked at her for a second and looked back on the road, driving. She was smiling.  
"Hm? Not as cute as you are," he finally answered.

Veronica blushed. She didn't expect that answer. She put another lock of her hair back behind her ear.  
"Oh."

She didn't answer something else. She looked down at her phone and saw a message from Betty.

 

 _I'm so sorry for yesterday. Please call me sometime. You'll also have to pop up at my house to take back your swimsuit before Cheryl's party tonight... I'll be waiting for u V xo_  

 

After thinking during a few seconds, Veronica replied to her message.

 

_Hey, B. Don't worry, I don't blame you anymore. I'm on the road to see Archie at Shankshaw. I'll pass to take my swimsuit early in the afternoon before the trial. Love xo_

 

"We're arriving, please be ready to get off the car, Miss Lodge," said Reggie.

"I am," she replied.

***

**8am.**

They entered the room. She saw Archie sitting on a chair, in front of her, wearing an orange prisoner suit. By her dad's fault. A simple glass window was separating Reggie and her from him. They sat on the two chairs. That was the first time they ever see each other since a very long time. At the moment she sat, she saw Archie's sight burn out of anger towards Reggie.

"You have ten minutes. No less, no more," declared the prison guard.

"Archie," declared Reggie. "Don't blame me. She wanted to come, I just brought her here."

"Reggie," whispered Archie with anger. "I know I can count on you henceforth."

"Well, just make as if I weren't here, guys. I'll wait."  
Archie glanced towards Veronica. She had her arms folded on her chest and was looking at him with insistence.

"I told you not to come here, Veronica. You didn't respect my decision. You promised me."

"Why would I listen to you now? We're not together anymore. I can do whatever I want."

"You can't do what you want. Not because you decided it's not over."

"You decided to break up, I decided to come. That's all."

Reggie was glancing at Archie and Veronica without stopping a second.  
"Uh, guys, can't we just have a normal conversation, like normal people, without bickering? We're here in case of we'd have to... to say goodbye"

Veronica lowered her eyes. Reggie was right. If this afternoon or tomorrow Archie was proved guilty, she could never see him again.  
She could feel Archie staring at her. She knew that he was angry, but at that point he was probably much more worried about his own future and the fact that he could never see her again. She knew it, she could feel it by the way he was looking at her. Deeply, intensely, already regretting all that he had just said. And she regretted too. Everything she had missed in recent months was now in front of her eyes. He was in front of her eyes. Veronica was overwhelmed with emotions. Pain above all. Her grief threatened to burst. She swallowed, restrained herself. She couldn't cry in front of him. After all, he was the one who broke up, huh? He had to be ashamed of himself. To realize that he had abandoned her, that he didn't believe in their love. As if they were not strong enough against the whole world. That wasn't what she told him at Shadowlake on the day of the alleged murder. Them against the world, _apparently_.

"Archie... I don't want to leave being mad at you. That's why I asked Reggie to drive me here. I'm sorry. If my father knew that I came here, he would probably kill me. Reggie has nothing to do with it. I confess that since this call three months ago, I'm mad at you. I'm mad that you broke up with me. So to clear the air amongst us... I wanted to come and see you to... to talk about it before the trial. Because if ever…"

She paused for a second. Their eyes quickly met. She didn't want to say that, as if it was a possibility. As if she thought it could happen. She took a deep breath and continued.

"If you don't come back... I'll be mad all the rest of my life for keeping this anger inside me."

Archie was looking at her silently. There was no expression on his face. The only thing he was doing was making and undoing the hem of the sleeve of his prison suit. From time to time, he blinked, but that was all. As she didn't see any reaction on his face, she hastened to continue.

"I believe in you, Archie. I know you're not guilty. You'll make it. And even if... even if we have to say goodbye n-"

"Don't say that, Veronica. It's not as if I was gonna die."

"I know, of course! But Archie, please. Be realistic. You will make it. And if ever you go to jail, I'll do my possible to get you out of this shit. Everyone knows that you're innocent."

"Everyone?"

She lowered her eyes.

"You don't have to do that. And it won't be that easy, Veronica. Your father is stronger than you are."

"Yeah, maybe. But I'm smarter."

They both smiled. That was the first time Archie saw a girl smiling since 3 months. Suddenly, Archie's smile faded. His eyes went down again.

"Ronnie..."

Veronica's heart lifted half a second. He had just called her Ronnie. It had been three months since she had heard that nickname. Three fucking months. But she was about to know the reason why he was calling her like that. He pulled up his right sleeve.

What she saw next on his right shoulder took her breath away. She stopped smiling again. Reggie, who was following the conversation from afar, halfway to his phone, looked up at that moment. Veronica's eyes had bent down again. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Reggie was back and forth between the serpent tattoo on Archie's shoulder and his own eyes. Veronica didn't say a word as she got up, until Archie intercepted her.

"Wait, Ronnie!"

She turned around.

"Veronica. It's Veronica."

She left the room, the eyes filled with tears.

_Again._


End file.
